With his director price tag climbing, Jon Favreau may have gotten too expensive for Marvel's Iron Man franchise. But how will that sit with Tony Stark, Robert Downey Jr.?

New York Magazine is reporting from an inside source that Marvel is leaning heavily towards a Favreau-free Iron Man 3. He's just too darn expensive. Rumor has it Marvel is trying to push a "confusing and packed vision of the third film as a tactic to provoke Favreau into leaving the project."

It's not surprising that they'd be willing to lose an A-list director. Franchise movies tend to sell themselves (Iron Man 2 did just fine despite critical reaction). But the real question is whether Downey will stay aboard if Favreau is forced out. According to NY Mag the actor has director approval in his contract for IM3.